North Crowley senior, Arlington Bowie boys relay team win gold
On a day of exciting finishes and lots of lightning, North Crowley senior Jamarkus Birks had the most electric finish of all Saturday at the UIL State Track and Field Meet at Mike A. Myers Stadium at the University of Texas.
Birks caught a glimpse of his nemesis, Jostyn Andrews of Dallas Skyline, as they were approaching the finish line in the Class 6A boys 400-meter dash. Then, Birks employed what he and his coach had been working on all week — a final lunge.
It worked as he won with a time of 47.09 seconds, just ahead of Andrews’ 47.32. In fact, the top five runners were within .68 of each other.
“I saw him out of the corner of my eye about a step from the finish line and I wasn’t sure if I was ahead or behind,” said Birks, the top seed entering the event. “I lunged forward and my momentum carried me to victory.”
Birks’ first-place finish was one of two by Fort Worth area participants Saturday. The Arlington Bowie foursome of juniors Kobe Daniels and Darien Porter and seniors Ardran Carr and Brayden Johnson won the boys 6A 1600 relay in a time of 3:14.03, another thrilling finish, .19 ahead of DeSoto.
Wild finish
Alex Byrnes, a wild-card entry to state, had a wild finish to her high school career.
The Fort Worth Paschal senior used a late surge to take the silver medal in the 6A girls 800-meter run with a career-best time of 2:10.46.
“The girl in second place started slowing down right at the end, and I said ‘I’ve got this,’ ” Byrnes said.
“We always say the distance is 800 meters, so run 801,” Paschal coach Craig Hardin said.
McKinney Boyd’s Aaliyah Miller won a third consecutive state championship, finishing in 2:06.71 to break her own state record of 2:07.07 in 2014.
Bronze for Bowen
A year after winning a gold medal in the high jump, Trophy Club Nelson senior Brandon Bowen captured a bronze Saturday.
Bowen cleared 6 feet, 9 inches, a couple of inches higher than last season’s winning jump. This season, however, instead of being alone, he shared the top height with two others, and because he had more misses, settled for third and a bronze medal.
But he came close to once again capturing the title, narrowly missing his attempt at 6-10.
“My heels clipped it. I just needed to get them up more,” Bowen said. “I was sure I had it. I was so close.
“I can’t be upset because I walked away with a medal. It’s been great.”
Other medals
▪ Southlake Carroll junior Reed Brown placed second in the 6A boys 1,600, running a 4:04.82. It came a day after he set a state record in the 3,200 with a time of 8:50.43.
▪ The Mansfield quartet of juniors Brooks Kennedy and Saiid Abedo, senior Michael Christopher and sophomore Jackson Gleeson was among two of the day’s most exciting events in Class 6A. In the 400 relay, they finished second with a time of 40.80, behind DeSoto’s 40.34 and Manvel’s 40.53. In the 800 relay, the were clocked in 1:25.07 to place second behind Manvel at 1:24.48. Gleeson would also take second in the 200 with a 21.34
▪ In Class 4A, the Kennedale relay group of senior Sarah Drummond, freshman Alexis Brown, and juniors Julia Mosley and Mushelus Benson also took a silver and bronze. The Wildcats were second in the 800, finishing in 1:41.18 and third in the 400 with a 47.22, just .05 out of second.
▪ Keller Timber Creek senior Sonnie Williams was second in 6A boys long jump with a 23-2.5, and Arlington Martin junior Cade Bethmann was third in 6A boys 800, running a 1:52.60.
This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 11:16 PM with the headline "North Crowley senior, Arlington Bowie boys relay team win gold."